Look, we get it: whenever a pop star, especially a major, worldwide pop star like Rihanna, drops a new song, people are going to go ham. Their ham can fall to the right, where it's all "oh this is the best song of 2015" (we see you, Vox), or they can go all the way to the left, where they can dedicate 200 words to how shitty the track was. Hell, you even have some outlets insinuating that Rihanna is "taking on" dubstep, as if she's not put out dubstep tracks with Chase & Status on 2009's Rated R ("Mad House") and 2012's Unapologetic ("Jump"). Tracks, mind you, that ended up being much better than this unconfirmed leak "World Peace," which is allegedly produced by K.E. On The Track (who recently finished an EP with ill-esha) and is said to be featured on Rihanna's rumored album R8 that could possibly drop sometime in 2015:
Mind you, this is essentially a pop-drizzled house tune that delves into a formulaic dubstep zone for 16 seconds. We're talking 16 seconds that have EDM bloggers both shocked and appalled. We're looking at 16 seconds of a song that sounds very dated and hasn't even been confirmed by Rihanna or her people as being a completed track. The overreactions to Rihanna's "World Peace"—either on the "OMGZ SHE TOOK IT THERE" or "OMGZ THIS IS A DISGUSTING PILE OF FECES"—aren't surprising...it's just tiring.
Why? We all recognize that EDM has seeped into the American mainstream, right? Hell, with The Chainsmokers helping people enjoy Super Bowl week and David Guetta performing on GMA, it's safe to say that EDM has stopped being that thing people speak about in hushed tones in close company; EDM is pop music, and Rihanna has highlighted on numerous occasions that she's going to incorporate EDM into her music. Let's not rewrite history like we should be surprised that she has 16 seconds of dubstep on a track that might not even be finished—or official. Nor should we act like this is the best thing we've heard in the 2015... you can't tell me with a straight face that you feel like this is the end all, be all of music in 2015.
Look, we all know Rihanna's hopped in bed with EDM sounds before, and would make solid bets that she'd do it again. And she should... it just shouldn't be something we're losing sleep over. As a matter of fact, wake us when something official and banging from Rihanna or any pop artist working on EDM-influenced tracks hits your timeline.
